Yummy! Yummy! Young brains to read!

“Oh! Here it comes the zombie,” used to joke my father every morning when I got up early to go to secondary school. Still asleep, I sat motionless and had breakfast with my eyes fixed on the cup of tea. Just like a zombie, I neither thought nor spoke. It was too early for me and my brain to react. Such a humorous comparison brings a great example of adolescents’ place in society. Both zombies and adolescents confront the same dilemma: the question of not being. They are both incomplete and imperfect beings; they are both trapped between two worlds. The former ones are trapped between life and death, while the latter are trapped between childhood and adulthood.

Adolescents need not only to explore their inner self and find their identity but also to explore the external world and find a place where they feel safe and comfortable. They need to find a place where they feel identified. In literature, they may find that place in Young Adult Literature (YAL), where themes and topics may be closer to them and their realities. As Herz and Gallo point out, YAL deals with universal themes such as the eternal questions Who I am? and Where do I fit in? and controversial topics which are appealing to adolescents. At the same time, Robert Small proposes a set of characteristics of YAL that places adolescents in a central position and contributes to the sense of closeness mentioned before. Thus, YAL becomes an irresistible option for adolescents to immerse themselves in the stories and let their hungry brains devour their pages with intense eagerness.

In this context, The Good Parts is a short story worth being discussed. Written by Les Daniels, the story portrays the particular experiences of a man who has become a zombie. However, it is not a mere description of a zombie hunting human beings and eating human flesh. Indeed, this story focuses not only on the typical zombie archetype but also on topics rarely related to them: such as love, sex, pregnancy and the beginning of a new life. These topics, however, are closely related to adolescents and their discovering of the world. Therefore, I believe that The Good Parts is a clear case of Young Adult Literature.

Based on Herz and Gallo´s ideas, I may affirm that The Good Parts develops many themes from YAL. Survival is the dominant theme in this story, and it appears in different aspects of the plot. First of all, it is related to the “survival” of the main character. Throughout the story, zombies get their bodies disintegrated because they are extremely fragile; however, the protagonist survives due to his large frame and body fat. Moreover, survival appears in relation to the protagonist´s human daughter. Since her birth, she has survived to her father´s desire of eating her because he would wait until she grows up enough to eat her. As he finally ends up disintegrated, she faces again the same dilemma: she would have to look for other human beings, equal to her, in order to survive. This quest is closely connected to the adolescents´ one.  On the one hand, they have to survive the end of their childhood; and, on the other hand, they need to find their own place. For this closeness to adolescents, the themes developed in this story may be really compelling for  them.

At first sight and following up Small´s characteristics, we may argue that the main character in The Good Parts is not actually an adolescent. However, taking into account the comparison made at the very beginning, I may take the risk and assure that both zombies and adolescents are similar enough in their position in the world for the protagonist of this story functions as if he were an adolescent. Like an adolescent, he is discovering love and sex and experiencing both for the first time. In this respect, the story does implicitly follow many characteristics of YAL which are directly related to adolescents and their centrality in YA stories.

Moreover, I may also assert that The Good Parts follows many more of the main points that are unique to YAL. First, the main character is the centre of the plot. The story is based entirely on this zombie´s experiences: how he manages to survive, how he finds a place where he feels comfortable, how he encounters a zombie woman and makes love with her, how he becomes a father of a human baby and how he deals with it. Second, the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the conflict. Although he has selfish purposes, the protagonist decides to take care of his human daughter and protect her from other zombies who want to eat her. As we can notice, the story characteristics coincide with many YAL specific points.

In conclusion, The Good Parts is a great example of Young Adult Literature because it goes beyond the plain zombie archetype and deals with themes which are close to adolescents´ realities making the story even more appealing for them.

No One Belongs Here More Than YAL

Not everything is said in Young Adult Literature. Books exclusively intended for young adult readers have increased a 35% since 2008. However, YAL’s scope is not finite, for it also embraces books aimed to more “mature” audiences.  YAL is open to innovations and risks that are not only acceptable but necessary.

When it comes to risks and innovations, author Miranda July is first in line. Even though she wouldn’t categorize herself as a YAL author, her stories are unique experiments of the ingredients that are appealing to YA readers. This Person, a two-page short story from her book No One Belongs Here More Than You, is no exception. In this story, a nameless girl (continually referred to as “this person”) wakes up to find that her life till that moment was just a test, and she has passed it. Every difficulty or abandonment was just a trial to prove her strength. A better life is waiting for her now. So everyone she has ever known gathers in a park to congratulate her.  But she feels overwhelmed by the sudden revelations and affection, and she bails out, seeking for loneliness.

Miranda July’s story is the perfect example of the substantial territory YAL has been gaining throughout the years. This story doesn’t play safe and arises many possible discussions. This person by Miranda July is YAL at its finest.   

“Squeaky clean” is not a characteristic that fits this story. In words of authors Herz and Gallo, “YAL deals with many universal themes, including the eternal question who I am?” In This Person, universal themes such as disillusion and isolation are present. At the beginning of the story, the nameless girl is excitedly waiting for the gathering in the park. When she arrives, everyone she knows congratulates her for passing “the” test. People who have made her life a misery apologize to her and confess that whatever they had done was just part of “the” test. However, these revelations don’t bring her happiness, but the awful memories that caused her so many afflictions.“This person is almost mad (…) This person is so disappointed.” In this extract, the character’s disillusion is palpable, for she realizes that everything she believes in is not true. What she has hoped and dreamed suddenly vanishes in the air. If everything that she has experienced was just a test, then what is real in her life? Such a deep and crucial question is not answered in the story. One reason may be that there is not just one answer, but more likely that readers are allowed to draw their own conclusions. The lack of answer is not a flaw of the story. It is a manifestation of its “YALness".

Even though she is mad and disillusioned, she still regrets leaving the park. “This person mourns the fact that she has ruined her one chance to be loved by anyone…” She wants to take that only chance of being loved and connect with people.  She wants to be part, to belong, but she doesn’t know how since the revelations have crushed her and now she needs to protect herself. Her struggle is clear in the following extract: “This person realizes that staying home means blowing off everyone this person has ever known. But the desire to stay in is very strong.” This need to be alone can be considered as a defence mechanism known as isolation. The main character isolates herself from everyone she knows; she decides to cut every interaction or relation with people and take refuge in solitude. Avoiding contact with people seems to be the solution this person finds to deal with the disillusion the latest events brought to her life. Isolation is a complex topic that is studied in different fields, such as psychology and sociology. So its presence in a YAL story is not random. It is a bold selection that YA readers will find interesting to discuss.

Along with universal themes, there are other characteristics in July’s story that are appealing to young adult readers. Author Robert C. Small proposes three characteristics that are unique to YAL: the novel (story) is short; the main character is the center of the plot; and the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the story. This Person is a two-page s  tory, told in the third person omniscient narrator. An omniscient narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of every character, still, as the plot of the story centers on the main character, the narrator focuses exclusively on the girl: “this person suddenly feels the need to…, “this person wonders…”, “this person mourns the fact that…”, “this person wants to run a bath…”  July’s story has other characters, such as the math and PE teachers, the jerks, idiots and assholes, the girl from the bus stop. Yet, they have neither voice nor power over the development of the events, for only the main character’s decisions drive the story.  All these characteristics don’t make This Person a shallow or superficial story. The short length and the “egocentric” plot are innovations used to make readers genuinely connect with Julies' work.

For stories like This Person, YAL won’t know dry spells. It is continually growing and expanding. There are still many Mirandas Julies to come and keep things active in the YAL section. Young adult readers: BEWARE!  

Of Kisses and Teenagers

In the world of literature we can find hundreds of genres, and obviously, a genre addressed to young adults could not be absent. Logically, someone called this genre Young Adult Literature (YAL). Most of the famous novels and stories within this category are considered ‘trash literature’ (at least for the intellectual circles). However, we should leave aside that prejudice since we can find many YAL characteristics in stories from other genres. The short story I Kiss a Door is a clear example of this. This story, from the book No One Belongs Here More Than You written by Miranda July, revolves around the feelings and thoughts of a girl who discovers that her friend is living with her father as a couple. While it’s true that we won’t find the book in the YAL section in a bookshop, it is also true that I Kiss a Door in particular can be considered YAL.

Now the thing is, how can we know whether a story is attractive to young adults or not? Authors Sarah K. Herz and Donald R. Gallo mention the importance of including appealing themes and topics for adolescents in YAL stories. In I Kiss a Door we will find several controversial topics: sexuality, since there is an explicit sex scene; insecurity, considering that the narrator is jealous of her friend’s beauty, popularity and family; identity, since the protagonist doubts about her child's father's identity; survival, if we take into account that there is a girl who has to live with her dad as man and wife; love, as we can see a father who is in love with her own daughter; and friendship, since we have two friends who break up because of a man.  

Author Robert C. Small highlights the importance of having a teenager as the main character in YAL stories. In I Kiss a Door, the narrator and protagonist of the story is not biologically a teenager since she may be in her twenties. Still, she could be considered as a teenager because of her personality and because of the way she acts. Our protagonist is a never-think-before, sexually adventurous, fragile, insecure and jealous girl who flirts with her friend’s father and who also cheats on her friend by having sex with her boyfriend.  And as if that were not enough, she also ends up having an unplanned pregnancy without even being sure of the father’s identity. Would you consider her as a teenager? Most probably your answer is “yes!” The thing is that this girl is not a teen but she acts like one.

Beyond a doubt, many of the books in the YAL section in a bookshop are usually really dull with very simple plots and common writing styles. But just like I Kiss a Door, there are thousands of high-quality stories out there that, without being “officially” considered YAL, may be very appealing for young adults.

Literary Essay

“The Emissary” of YAL 

‘The Emissary’, written by Ray Bradbury, is a short creepy story which may correspond to YAL. Now, what does the acronym YAL stand for? It stands for Young Adult Literature, that is to say, pieces of writings which include certain characteristics that are supposed to be appealing to teenagers. In general, educators and/or parents, tend to believe that all the classics such as Shakespeare, are a MUST for adolescents but they fail to see things from their (the adolescents’) perspective. Many people do not even know that YAL exists. There are several approaches about what is considered YAL and what is not that would be very helpful at the time of choosing a book to deal/work with. In this case I will take Robert C. Small’s approach as an example to analyze if “The emissary” corresponds to YAL.  

The main character in the story is Martin, a ten year old boy who is confined to bed due to his illness. His only connection with the outside world is his pet, called ‘Dog’. Dog is Martin's emissary, reporting the changes in the weather and the seasons by the way his fur feels and smells. Dog not only faithfully fetches news from outside, but he brings visitors to Martin's bedside. Martin snaps a tin note to the dog's collar: “MY OWNER IS MARTIN SMITH…TEN YEARS OLD…SICK IN BED…VISITORS WELCOME”.  Martin's favorite visitor is his teacher, Miss Haight. She is his friend and gives him books and cupcakes. She visits him for the last time on Sunday and the following day she has a car accident and dies. When Martin learns of Miss Haight's death, he begins a thoughtful consideration of death. He concludes that being dead must be quite dull since all that dead people do is lie around. In the last days of October, Dog begins to act strangely and, on Halloween, disappears. However, Dog does return, bringing with him the rancid smelling soil of the cemetery. As usual, Dog has also brought Martin a visitor.  

Small points out some characteristics that are unique to YAL, some of them are that the main character is a teenager, the centre of the plot, and events and problems in the plot are related to teenagers too. Even though the main character of “The emissary” Martin is only ten years old his attitudes perfectly reflect teens’ ones. He seems to be independent from his parents, he adapts to his condition of being confined to bed without complaining, he is in a stage of moving away from his parents to search for relationships outside the family, reasons why he may be considered teenager. The plot revolves around Martin, and his pet Dog plays a secondary role. After Mrs. Haight’s death in an accident, Martin begins a thoughtful consideration of death, life after death, and God’s decisions, topics which are usually of common interest among adolescents as their level of thinking slowly becomes more abstract rather than concrete.  

Another characteristic mentioned by Small is that the point of view presents an adolescent’s interpretation of events and people. Most teens go through a stage in which they reject their parents because they do not feel understood, that is the reason why Martin looks at his mother as if she were a stranger when she complains about Dog digging in the neighbors’ garden.  

According to Small, the teenage main character is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent. It is interesting how Martin manages his illness so brave without feeling sorry for himself and how he gets to learn about many things that happen outside the house such as the weather and different odors. The boy is definitely sensitive since he falls in a kind of depression when he knows about Mrs. Haight’s death. He proves to be independent staying alone in the house and asserts on his perception about Dog’s change of attitude. 

Small also claims that the actions and decisions of the main characters are the major factors in the outcome of the conflict.  Martin snaps a tin note to the dog's collar: “MY OWNER IS MARTIN SMITH…TEN YEARS OLD…SICK IN BED…VISITORS WELCOME”. Although it is implied, this action led Dog bringing Mrs. Haight back from death at the end of the story.  

It is not an easy task to know what is appealing to adolescents. However, if we just try to open our minds and look through their eyes it will surely be easier. I always start asking myself: Is a teenager the main character and the centre of the plot? Are the events, problems and the plot related to teenagers? Is the main character perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent? Are the actions and decisions of the main characters the major factors in the outcome of the conflict? 

Taking into account Small’s concept on YAL, we can get to the conclusion that “The Emissary” is a good example of YAL.